Expandable receptacle

ABSTRACT

An expandable receptacle comprising an outer tubular member and an inner tubular member. The inner tubular member is concentrically positioned in, and supported by, the outer tubular member in a telescoping relationship such that one of the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member is moveable along a longitudinal axis of the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member between a collapsed position and an expanded position. The inner tubular member and the outer tubular member cooperate to define a content receiving compartment having an open top and an open bottom whereby contents of the content receiving compartment are removable therefrom by lifting the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member upward and away from the contents.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 11/454,392, filedJun. 15, 2006, the contents of which is hereby incorporated herein inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a container, and moreparticularly, but not by way of limitation, to an improved expandablereceptacle that allows quick and easy removable of the contents of thereceptacle.

2. Brief Description of Related Art

Convention trash receptacles are configured with a specific capacity. Acommon practice is to line the trash receptacle with a plastic liner tofacilitate disposal of the refuse collected in the receptacle. In manyinstances, it is desirable to use large capacity liners, e.g., 55 to 60gallons. Such large capacity liners have the advantage of being morecost effective than smaller capacity liners and do not require changingas often. However, problems are encountered with the use of largecapacity liners. First, individuals are more susceptible to injury whenpulling the liner from the receptacle due to the increased weight of thelarger liner. Second, the receptacle used to support a large capacityliner must be of sufficient size to do so. Consequently, it may beinconvenient to store a receptacle of such size.

To this end, a need exists for an improved expandable receptacle thatallows quick and easy removal of the contents of the receptacle. It isto such an apparatus that the present invention is directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional, exploded view of an expandable receptacle.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the expandable receptacle shown in acollapsed position.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the expandable receptacle shown inan expanded position.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the expanded receptacle with the innerand outer tubular members removed.

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional, exploded view of another embodiment of anexpandable receptacle.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view of the expandable receptacle of FIG. 5shown in a collapsed position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a stop mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view of an interlocking mechanism.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-3, anexpandable receptacle 10 constructed in accordance with the presentinvention is shown. The expanded receptacle 10 is illustrated asfunctioning as a support for a plastic liner 11 (FIGS. 2 and 3).However, it should be appreciated that the use of the expandablereceptacle 10 of the present invention is not limited to being used as aliner support. The expandable receptacle 10 may be used for storing ortransporting a variety of objects. The expandable receptacle 10 has anouter tubular member 12, an inner tubular member 14, a stand 16, and alid 18. The outer tubular member 12 has inner surface 20, an outersurface 22, an open top 24, and an open bottom 26. A pair of handles 28are provided on the outer surface to facilitate moving the outer tubularmember 12. Similarly, the inner tubular member 14 has an inner surface30, an outer surface 32, an open top 34, and open bottom 36. The outersurface 32 of the inner tubular member 14 may also be provided with apair of handles 38.

The inner tubular member 14 is dimensioned to fit in the outer tubularmember 12 in a telescopic relationship with the outer surface 32 of theinner tubular member 14 contacting the inner surface 20 of the outertubular member 12. The outer tubular member 12 and the inner tubularmember 14 are preferably manufactured from a durable, plastic material,such as polyethylene, so as to permit the inner tubular member 14 toslide relative to the outer tubular member 12 and thereby permit theinner tubular member 14 to be moved along a longitudinal axis 40 of theinner tubular member 14 and the outer tubular member 12 from a collapsedposition (FIG. 2) to an expanded position (FIG. 3). Furthermore, theinner tubular member 14 is constructed to have sufficient flexibility sothat a pressure exerted on the inner surface 30 of the inner tubularmember 14 causes the outer surface 32 of the inner tubular member 14 tofrictionally engage the inner surface 20 of the outer tubular member 12to support the inner tubular member 14 in the expanded position, in amanner to be described below.

The outer tubular member 12 and the inner tubular member 14 are shown tohave a circular shape. However, it should be appreciated that the outertubular member 12 and the inner tubular member 14 may be constructed ofvarious and geometric shapes. In addition, the outer tubular member 12and the inner tubular member 14 may be made from various materials, suchas metal, plastic, and wood.

The outer tubular member 12 and the inner tubular member 14 cooperate todefine a content receiving compartment 42 having an open top 44 and anopen bottom 46, whereby contents of the content receiving compartment 42are removable therefrom by lifting the inner tubular member 14 and theouter tubular member 12 upward and away from the contents. As mentionedabove, the expandable receptacle 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 asfunctioning as a support for the liner 11, which has a closed lower end48 and an open upper end 50. The liner 11 is positioned in the contentreceiving compartment 42 with the open upper end 50 extended over thetop 34 of the inner tubular member 14. While the capacity of the liner11 may vary, the expandable receptacle 10 effectively supports largecapacity liners, such as those liners having a capacity of approximately60 gallons, by way of example.

The stand 16 is adapted to support the liner 11, the outer tubularmember 12, and the inner tubular member 14. The stand 16 includes a base52 and a sidewall 54 dimensioned to receive and support the bottom 26 ofthe outer tubular member 12. The stand 16 and the outer tubular member12 may be provided with a latching mechanism (not shown) thatreleaseably connects the outer tubular member 12 to the stand 16. Suchlatching mechanism may include a foot pedal (also not shown) tofacilitate release of the outer tubular member 12 from the stand 16 whenit is desired to remove the contents of the content receivingcompartment 42 therefrom. The stand 16 preferably includes a pluralityof wheels or rollers 56 to permit the expandable receptacle 10 and itscontents to be moved from one location to another, as desired.

In use, refuse or other materials are disposed in the liner 11 with theinner tubular member 14 and the outer tubular member 12 in the collapsedposition (FIG. 2). As the content receiving compartment 42 becomesfilled, the inner tubular member 14 is moved upward to increase thecapacity of the content receiving compartment 42 by lifting the innertubular member 14 with the handles 38 to a desired position. The innertubular member 14 is supported in the expanded position (FIG. 3) by theoutward pressure exerted on the inner tubular member 14 by the contentsof the liner 11. More specifically, the contents of the contentreceiving compartment 42 cause the outer surface 32 of the inner tubularmember 14 to frictionally engage the inner surface 20 of the outertubular member 12 and thereby support the inner tubular member 14 in theexpanded position. The inner tubular member 14 is moved upwardincrementally until the capacity of the liner 11 is reached. Prior tothe liner 11 being filled to capacity, the lid 18 may be used to coverthe liner 11.

With the liner 11 filled to its capacity, the liner 11 is tied orotherwise sealed. The filled liner 11 is removed from the expandablereceptacle 10 (FIG. 4) by lifting the inner tubular member 14 and theouter tubular member 12 upward and away from the liner 11. If the outertubular member 12 is connected to the stand 16, the outer tubular member12 is first disconnected from the stand 16. Next, the inner tubularmember 14 is lifted up and over the liner 11, followed by the outertubular member 12. Alternatively, the outer tubular member 12 may belifted so as to cause the top 24 of the outer tubular member 12 tocontact the handles 38 of the inner tubular member 14 whereby the outertubular member 12 and the inner tubular member 14 are lifted over theliner 11 as a unit. With the outer tubular member 12 and the innertubular member 14 separated from the liner 11, the filled liner 11 maybe transported via the stand 16 to a desired location for disposal,without requiring the liner 11 being lifted out of the expandablereceptacle 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, another embodiment of an expandablereceptacle 10 a is illustrated. The expandable receptacle 10 a has anouter tubular member 12 a, an inner tubular member 14 a, a stand 16 a,and a lid 18 a. The inner tubular member 14 a, the stand 16 a, and thelid 18 a are similar in construction to the inner tubular member 14, thestand 16, and the lid 18 described above. The outer tubular member 12 ahas an inner wall 60 and a outer wall 62 joined at a lower end thereof.The inner wall 60 and the outer wall 62 are spaced to define a slot 64having an open top 66. The slot 64 is dimensioned to receive the innertubular member 14 a so that the inner tubular member 14 a is movablefrom a collapsed position (FIG. 5) to an expanded position. The innertubular member 14 a is supported in the expanded position in a mannersimilar to that described above in reference to the expandablereceptacle 10. That is, the contents of the content receivingcompartment exerts a pressure on the inner wall 60 of the outer tubularmember 12 a, which in turn squeezes the inner tubular member 14 abetween the inner wall 60 and the outer wall 62.

FIG. 7 shows the outer tubular member 12 a and the inner tubular member14 a provided with a stop mechanism 68 which functions to prevent theinner tubular member 14 a from separating from the outer tubular member12 a. The stop mechanism 68 includes a catch member 70 formed on theinner tubular member 14 a near the bottom thereof and a catch member 72formed on the outer tubular member 12 a near the top thereof. It shouldbe appreciated that the stop mechanism 68 may also be employed in theexpandable receptacle 10.

FIG. 8 illustrates the expandable receptacle 10 a provided with aninterlocking mechanism 74 as an additional or alternative means forsupporting the inner tubular member 14 a in the expanded position. Theouter tubular member 12 a may include a series of recesses 76 adapted toreceive a ridge 78 formed on the inner tubular member 14 a. It will beappreciated that the interlocking mechanism 74 may take a variety ofother forms. For example, the ridge 78 may be formed on the outertubular member 12 a (the outer wall, the inner wall, or both) and therecesses 76 formed on the inner tubular member 14 a so as to correspondwith the ridge of the outer tubular member 12 a. The interlockingmechanism 74 may be incorporated into the expandable receptacle 10.

From the above description it is clear that the present invention iswell adapted to carry out the objects and to attain the advantagesmentioned herein as well as those inherent in the invention. Whilepresently preferred embodiments of the invention have been described forpurposes of this disclosure, it will be understood that numerous changesmay be made which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled inthe art and which are accomplished within the spirit of the inventiondisclosed and as defined in the appended claims.

1. A receptacle, comprising: a stand having a base and a sidewallextending upwardly from the base; and at least one cylindrical, tubularmember having an outer surface, an inner surface, an open top, and anopen bottom, the open bottom positioned in the sidewall of the stand andsupported by the base, the tubular member defining a content receivingcompartment having an open top and an open bottom whereby contents ofthe content receiving compartment are removable therefrom by lifting thetubular member upward and away from the stand and the contents of thecontent receiving compartment so as to cause the tubular member to slideover the contents in such a way that the contents are removed from thecontent receiving compartment.
 2. The receptacle of claim 1 wherein theinner surface of the tubular member is protrusionless.
 3. The receptacleof claim 1 wherein the stand has a plurality of wheels.
 4. Thereceptacle of claim 1 further comprising a flexible liner having aclosed lower end and an open upper end, the liner positioned in thecontent receiving compartment.
 5. The receptacle of claim 4 wherein theinner surface of the tubular member is protrusionless.
 6. The receptacleof claim 1 wherein the tubular member has at least one handle extendingfrom the outer surface thereof.
 7. An expandable receptacle, comprising:an outer cylindrical, tubular member having an outer surface, an innersurface, an open top, and an open bottom; and an inner cylindrical,tubular member having an outer surface, an inner surface, an open top,and an open bottom, the inner tubular member concentrically positionedin, and supported by, the outer tubular member in a telescopingrelationship in such a way that one of the inner tubular member and theouter tubular member is moveable along a longitudinal axis of the innertubular member and the outer tubular member between a collapsed positionand an expanded position, the inner tubular member and the outer tubularmember cooperating to define a content receiving compartment having anopen top, the outer surface of the inner tubular member positionedadjacent the inner surface of the outer member in such a way thatcontents disposed in the content receiving compartment cause the outersurface of the inner surface to frictionally engage the inner surface ofthe outer tubular member and thereby support the inner tubular member inthe extended position.
 8. The receptacle of claim 7 wherein the innersurface of the inner tubular member and the inner surface of the outertubular member are protrusionless.
 9. The expandable receptacle of claim7 wherein the content receiving compartment has an open bottom so thatthe contents of the content receiving compartment are removabletherefrom by lifting the inner tubular member and the outer tubularmember upward and away from the contents so as to cause the tubularmember to slide over the contents in such a way that the contents areremoved from the content receiving compartment.
 10. The receptacle ofclaim 9 wherein the inner surface of the inner tubular member and theinner surface of the outer tubular member are protrusionless.
 11. Theexpandable receptacle of claim 7 further comprising a stand supportingthe inner and the outer tubular members.
 12. The expandable receptacleof claim 11, wherein the stand has a plurality of wheels.
 13. Theexpandable receptacle of claim 11 further comprising a liner having aclosed lower end and an open upper end, the liner positioned in thecontent receiving compartment.
 14. The receptacle of claim 13 whereinthe inner surface of the inner tubular member and the inner surface ofthe outer tubular member are protrusionless.
 15. A method for disposingof refuse, comprising: providing a stand having a base and a sidewallextending upwardly from the base; positioning a cylindrical, tubularmember having an outer surface, an inner surface, an open top, and anopen bottom in the sidewall of the stand; positioning a liner having aclosed lower end and an open upper end in the tubular member so that theliner is supported by the tubular member and the stand; disposing ofrefuse in the liner; closing the open upper end of the liner; andlifting the tubular member upward and away from the stand so as to causethe tubular member to slide over the liner in such a way that the lineris removed from the tubular member.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising the step of rollingly transporting the stand together withthe liner to a desired location.
 17. A method for disposing of refuse,comprising: providing a stand having a base and a sidewall extendingupwardly from the base; positioning an outer cylindrical, tubular memberhaving an outer surface, an inner surface, an open top, and an openbottom in the sidewall of the stand; positioning an inner cylindrical,tubular member having an outer surface, an inner surface, an open top,and an open bottom in the outer tubular member in a telescopingrelationship in such a way that one of the inner tubular member and theouter tubular member is moveable along a longitudinal axis of the innertubular member and the outer tubular member between a collapsed positionand an expanded position, the inner tubular member and the outer tubularmember cooperating to define a content receiving compartment;positioning a liner having a closed lower end and an open upper end inthe content receiving compartment; disposing of refuse in the liner viathe open upper end; sliding the inner tubular member upward relative tothe outer tubular member to an expanded position to increase thecapacity of the content receiving compartment as the content receivingcompartment becomes filled to an extent that the inner tubular membercontents disposed in the content receiving compartment cause the outersurface of the inner surface to frictionally engage the inner surface ofthe outer tubular member and thereby support the inner tubular member inthe expanded position; continue disposing of refuse in the liner closingthe open upper end of the liner; and lifting the inner tubular memberand the outer tubular member upward and away from the stand so as tocause the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member to slideover the liner in such a way that the liner is removed from the contentreceiving compartment.
 18. The method of claim 17, further comprisingthe step of rollingly transporting the stand together with the liner toa desired location.